


i know i had the best day with you today

by juliejatpfan (anxiousrainbows)



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex Mercer Has Bad Parents (Julie and The Phantoms), Autistic Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Everyone Is Alive, Found Family, Gen, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Luke Patterson Has ADHD (Julie and The Phantoms), Menstruation, Mentions of Car Accidents, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ray Molina is a Good Dad, Reggie Peters Has Bad Parents (Julie and The Phantoms), and that includes rose, mentions of conversion camps, so no ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28755807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxiousrainbows/pseuds/juliejatpfan
Summary: 5 times ray molina was dubbed the “best dad ever” + 1 time he realized he’s not, but he’s trying his best, and that’s what matters.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 140





	1. write in every empty space the words "i love you" in replace- luke

**Author's Note:**

> i don't recommend reading this on "entire work" if you use the spanish translations, since the links won't work right for chapters 2-6.  
> playlist for this fic:  
> [spotify link](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3JdX3eJDUVkUHQUU1qfbVZ?si=Q_wl7kSfRtCdE6NMja4ZKA)

Luke shifted on the Molina's couch, his back starting to hurt. But he had to finish this song, so he continued to write and then scratch out lyrics for the song he was working on.

Ray noticed Luke on the couch instead of outside with his friends, who were playing basketball with Carlos.

"Mijo,[1] are you okay?" Luke nodded. "Then why aren't you out there playing?"

"Gotta finish this song."

His pencil thumped out the working rhythm he had for the song, but Alex would fine tune that later. As he looked at Ray, with his loving eyes, the lyrics came to him.

"Alright, it's done. I just had to get the second verse down." Luke stood up.

"Well, since all the other kids left me, why don't you come help me make dinner? Normally Rose would, but she'll be home late."

"Yeah, sure."

Ray led him to the kitchen, where he started to pull out the ingredients for _arroz con pollo [2]_

"Alright, can you chop the tomatoes and onions for the rice?" Ray said, handing him a cutting board.

"Totally."

As they chopped, Ray decided to fill the silence. "So, have you kids found any gigs lately?"

"No. We're actually taking a break from playing shows until after school lets out. Once we're on summer break, it's full throttle. June is writing songs, which we're still doing, just not as much, and July and August are for ambush mode, playing every gig we can get."

"Well, I'm glad you kids are prioritizing school."

"It was Julie's idea, with all her smart kid classes. I think Alex wanted to bring up the idea, but that boy doesn't have a confrontational bone in his body, so he didn't say anything until Julie did."

"Well, whosever idea it was, I'm glad it's happening. And I always love coming home to the sound of music from the studio, so I won't protest you kids writing."

"You seem to be alone on that one."

"What do you mean?"

"If my parents had their way, I would've quit the band a long time ago. But they don't, it's a constant fight at my house."

"I'm sorry mijo. I wish your parents supported you on this."

"It's okay. They're great parents besides that, so I'm not complaining too hard. I just live vicariously through Julie."

"Huh?"

"Well, you and Mrs. Molina do so much to help the band, and you come to every gig; you guys are like the best parents a musician could have."

"Oh. Thank you. We try."

"I'm done chopping, what do I do now?"

Ray guided him through making the rice and prepared the chicken on his own. It was all almost ready when Rose and Carlos walked through the door.

"Hola, mi amor,[3]" Rose said.

"Hola, mi vida,[4]" Ray said, pecking her on the lips.

"Ew!" Carlos said from the couch he had already planted himself on.

"Luke, the others are waiting for you in the studio," Rose said.

"Okay, thanks." Luke grabbed his songbook and made his way to the studio.

Once the food was ready, the Molina family and three teenage boys all made their way into the kitchen, serving themselves a plate and sat down at the table. Rose and Ray had bought a bigger table once the boys started to become recurring characters at the Molina family dinner.

Everyone ate, surprised that Luke's rice was so good since "you almost set my house on fire making instant ramen" (that story was courtesy of Alex). Once dinner was over and the boys were packing up to leave, Ray pulled Luke aside.

"Y'know, mijo, even if your parents don't support your music, I always will."

"Thanks, Mr. Molina."

Luke opened up his songbook to the page where his newly-written song was, rereading the verse he had written.

_you're like a ray of sunshine_

_growing all my roses_

_i know things can get hard_

_but we'll cross the river like Moses_

* * *

The end of the school year was upon them, so all of the students in Los Felix's music program were seated, first by grade, then by last name, for their annual award show, announcement of the new section leaders, and sending off the seniors. They had already gone through most of the awards.

"Alright, time for the final awards category, our star students. The department decides a star student for each instrument as well as vocals. While students may get this award for multiple instruments, they cannot get it in the same year, nor can they get it for the same instrument multiple times. With all that out of the way, let's get started."

Mrs. Harrison listed off the names one by one.

"Star vocalist, Julie Molina!"

The boys clapped for her the loudest among all of their peers, and her parents and Carlos were yelling from the family section.

"Star guitarist, Reggie Peters!"

The room went silent so Reggie could go up and get his award. Mrs. Harrison always made sure to hand out a slip to everyone telling them which students to be quiet for since every year she always had a handful of students with sensory issues. When he got back to his seat and put on the noise cancelling-headphones, Luke gave him a high-five. They'd always loved being sat next to each other when they were sorted by alphabetical order, but this time was especially great.

Once they were done with the star students, it was time for the section leaders. Mrs. Harrison named every one, and each of them went to the the stage for the handing off of the section leader binder.

"For the strings section, Luke Patterson!"

Luke got up and practically ran to the stage, his whole body buzzing. As he waited for everyone else to be called (and jumped up and down when Alex was named section leader of the percussion instruments), he looked out into the crowd of families. His parents weren't there. Luke had been telling them about this for weeks, but they missed it.

During the ceremonial handoff, Luke noticed that the Molinas were cheering as loud as they did for Julie when he got the binder.

And that's when he realized that, sure, his parents didn't come, but his family certainly did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spanish translations:  
> 
> 
> [1]a combination of the phrase "mi hijo" (my son in English). used by an older person to a younger, masculine-identifying person as a term of endearment.
> 
> [2]chicken and rice (literal translation is the reverse order). 
> 
> [3]Hello, my love. 
> 
> [4]Hello, my life
> 
> yes i stole the noise-cancelling headphones idea from atypical, but i did some research to verify it's actually a thing since i know atypical isn't great autistic rep.


	2. take me somewhere i am free to be myself- alex

Alex made turned the key into his house, backpack on his shoulders, heading towards the kitchen so that he could get a snack after his day at school.

"Alexander, grab your snack and then sit down with us, please," his mother said.

 _Uh oh._ His mother hadn't said a word to him that calmly since he came out 4 months and 16 days ago (but who's counting?). It had completely destroyed his family— his parents now either ignored him or yelled at him about how much of a "sinner" he was until their voices were almost gone. What was originally fun money that he got from his share of the pay the band made from gigs was now going towards his phone bill and getting dinner since he was never invited to his family's anymore.

He pulled out the chair and unpeeled his banana. "What's up?"

"As you know, we do not agree with your lifestyle choices," his mother said.

"So, we've decided that if you're going to continue to be a part of this family, including having contact with your sister, you'll have to attend this camp Pastor Elijah recommended," his father said.

Alex thumbed through the pamphlet, reading the "treatments" they had.

"You do realize most of these are torture?"

"Well, you have refused to give up this sinful lifestyle, so if that's what we have to do to get these thoughts out of your head, then that's what we'll do," his mother said.

"Unbelievable," Alex said. "I'm going to rehearsal. I'll see you when I get back."

Alex threw away his banana peel and grabbed his bag before heading to his bike and riding it to Julie's house.

* * *

Band rehearsal is Alex's favorite part of the day: he was with his best friends in the entire world, he got to rock out on his drums and release some of his anxiety, and he didn't have to deal with the anxiety clusterfuck that is school or the rejection from his family.

Julie's voice carried them through the song as Alex pounded out the beat on his drums, going way harder than normal.

 _Stupid fucking parents._ Bang! _They don't know what they're talking about._ Bang! _They can't change me._ Bang! _They won't change me._ Bang! _I shouldn't have to choose between being myself and having a family._ Bang! _I'm gay, and if they can't accept that, then fuck them._ Bang! Bang!

His drumstick went through the snare drum, and that's when Alex noticed that the music had stopped.

"You okay there, bro?" Luke said.

"Obviously not. My drum just broke, and it's not like we have the money to replace it."

"Don't you keep an emergency fund?" Reggie asked.

"Yeah, for when we're not playing gigs and I still need to pay for things. I'm not invited to family dinner anymore, remember? And unless you don't want to be able to contact me outside of school, I still have to pay my phone bill."

"You still play guitar, right?" Luke asked.

"Yeah."

"Great. Then you can play that, Luke can take over playing keys, and I'll just sing. Again, it's not like we're performing anyways, so this will just be until after finals. Once we get a gig that'll pay us, all of the money from it we'll use to replace the drum. Problem solved!" Julie said.

"Ok."

They all rearranged themselves to be able to play their temporary instruments and finished off rehearsal.

Luckily for Alex, who _really_ didn't want to go home right now, the boys always stayed for a sleepover on Fridays at Julie's house.

"So, how was school this week?" Rose said to the people sitting at her table eating pizza ordered from the local chain.

"Good, our lesson on polynomial functions was super easy," Reggie said.

"Easy? Ok, tell me again why you aren't in calculus with Julie," Alex said.

"We've been over this 'Lex, our ableist school won't let kids using accommodations enroll in anything above the standard pacing. Just because I need to wear sunglasses in class doesn't mean I can't do— what are doing, Jules?"

"Logarithmic expressions."

"That."

"Can't your parents talk to the school, maybe at least get them to give you a test?" Rose said.

Reggie snorted. "My parents would much rather argue with each other than the school. Besides, I may lose my accommodations, and I can't risk that."

"Okay then." Ray said.

"What happened to the drums during rehearsal? I couldn't hear them when I got home from practice," Carlos said.

"I pierced a hole through one of them. We're gonna have to wait to replace it until we start playing gigs again."

"Well, one of my assistants can't make it to a wedding this weekend. If you replace her, I'll replace the drum," Ray said.

"You would do that? It would be a big help," Alex said.

"Absolutely."

"Thank you. Where is it?"

"Oh, I'll pick you up. Just be in wedding attire by 3PM, and I'll drive over."

"You got it."

* * *

Alex fiddled with the tie he'd bought for homecoming last year, deciding to scrap it when he couldn't figure it out. He slid it into his pocket in case someone else forgot one or something, and went into the bathroom to gel his hair back.

"Well, don't you look nice. Where are you going?" His mother said.

"I'm helping Mr. Molina with a wedding shoot."

"Shouldn't you wear a tie then?"

"Couldn't figure it out."

"Why didn't you ask your dad to help you?"

"You know why."

Alex put the final bit of gel in as Ray texted him that he was outside.

"I gotta go. I'll see you when I get back."

He grabbed his keys and headed outside, getting into Ray's car. They drove in a comfortable silence, only the Enrique Iglesias song playing from the radio. It reminded Alex of when he got the stomach flu when he was 10 and the school couldn't get a hold of his parents, so they called Rose instead. Mr. Molina picked him up and took him back to his house, making sure to take care of him until his parents came running to their house, doting on him the rest of the time he was sick. Alex missed when his parents cared about him like that.

Ray pulled in to the parking lot and that's when he saw the names of the couple.

_Xander Montgomery and Bill Whitman_

"It's a gay couple?"

"Oh, I forgot you're family's very religious. Should I take you home? I don't want to make the couple uncomfortable with you here."

"Oh no, I'm not like them, I just wasn't expecting it I guess." _Definitely not like my parents._

"Gay marriage has been legal in the US for 5 years,mijo,[1] and in California even longer."

"I know, but it's not like my family was ever invited to one, understandably."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

They got out of the car and started to unload the equipment. Ray showed Alex where he would be and how to work everything he would be using and having him take test shots to make sure all the settings were right.

"What's that in your pocket?" Ray asked him.

"Oh, it's the tie I was gonna wear, but I couldn't figure out how to tie it right. Brought it in case someone forgot or spilled something on theirs."

"Why don't I teach you?"

"Oh, uh, okay."

Alex handed him the tie, and Ray showed him all the steps.

"Alright, well we gotta go take pictures of the wedding party."

After the ceremony (no, Alex did _not_ cry when their mothers walked them down the aisle), Ray had him taking pictures for the photo booth the couple had paid for in their package. When it came time for the first dance, however, everyone sat down. Alex sat next to Ray as the two men danced with their mothers, and this time, he let the tears flow. _I wish my mom would love me enough to do that._

Once the first dance was over, the party started, and lasted until almost 1AM. Alex helped Ray load up his car once more, and this time, the drive wouldn't be in silence.

"Alex, I'm going to ask you something, and you don't have to answer this if you don't want to or you're not ready, but, are you gay?"

"Yeah. How could you tell?"

"You cried every time their moms showed their support for them. I imagine you don't have that kind of support?"

"Not at all. My parents want to send me to some conversion camp in Indiana. It's basically a torture chamber."

"Is that why you broke the drum?"

"Yeah. I was banging on it too hard and the stick went right through."

"Well, I don't want you to have to deal with that, so if you want, you can come live with us. I'm sure Julie would love that. There's space in the loft when Rosa would work so late into the night that it would wake everyone up if she came back into the house, so she slept out there."

"Speaking of Rose, don't you want to run it by her first?"

"Mijo, we've had this plan in place since Reggie flinched when I raised my chancla[2] to kill a fly he told me about. After you came to dinner with that gnarly bruise on your shoulder and the worst lie I've ever heard, we decided that if you guys ever came to us, whichever one came first would go into the loft, and the other, if it happened that both of you did, would take over the guest bedroom."

"You noticed all that?"

"Of course. We care about you three knuckleheads, and we wanted to have a plan in place for when we had confirmation that any of you three were not living in a safe environment, but especially you and Reggie since you both showed the signs."

"Wow, I didn't realize. And I'll take you up on that offer. I like my body unshocked."

"Okay then, pack up your things tonight, and I'll come pick you up for band rehearsal, and send in Julie to grab your stuff from the window. That sound good?"

"Yeah, that sounds really good."

"Great."

Ray dropped off Alex at his house, making sure he gets in okay. He drove home and then pulled into the driveway, unloading all of his equipment and putting it back in his office.

"You're home! How was it?" Rose asked, sliding a mug of tea Ray's way.

"Beautiful. And Alex is gonna move in tomorrow."

"We were right?"

"Unfortunately. His parents want to send him to conversion camp."

"Dios mio![3] Well, I'm glad we found out and could intervene before he got hurt."

"Yeah, me too. Those three managed to get me to love them just as much as I love Julie and Carlos."

"That's a part of their charm, I think."

"Well, do you want to spend one more night in the studio before it's gonna be overtaken by another teenager?" Ray pecked her lips.

"Ay, Ramon, que sucio![4] Rose said laughing, but let her husband lead her out there anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> footnotes for the spanish words/phrases/sentence:  
> [1] a combination of the phrase "mi hijo" (my son in English). used by an older person to a younger, masculine-identifying person as a term of endearment.  
> [2] it varies by dialect, but known as a flip flop, sandal, thong, etc. the shoes you wear to the beach. also sometimes used in reference to slippers  
> [3] My God.  
> [4]Oh, Ramon [Ray is a nickname of Ramon], how dirty!  
> if you want a reference for the suit, imagine the one owen wore to jeremy's wedding and add a black tie


	3. nothing left to hold, locked out in the cold- reggie

Reggie Peters  
  
Code Green. Corner of Westmont and Commonwealth.  
  


_That's weird,_ Ray thought. _Reggie never texts me, except for last night to tell me that the kids were going to a midnight showing of that new superhero movie, and Julie's phone had died._

While he knew that this text was probably meant for Julie, Ray also knew it was illegal for Julie to drive Reggie anywhere without him in the car, and that she was dead asleep, both tired from the night before and wanting to be well rested for her physics test tomorrow. So, Ray grabbed his keys from the stand Victoria had gotten him for Christmas, and walked out to his car.

Reggie Peters  
  
Code Green. Corner of Westmont and Commonwealth.  
  
I'll be there in 5 minutes.  
  


Ray turned the ignition, and the car hummed to life. He pulled out of the driveway, and drove the short distance to Reggie's location. Once he pulled up, Reggie started climbing into the— backseat?

"Mijo, what are you doing? I'm not Uber."

The boy looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Check your text history."

Reggie pulled out his phone, and his eyes widened when he presumably saw that he had texted Julie's _dad_ instead of Julie.

"You can sit in the front with me. And do I even want to know why your first instinct was to get in the backseat?"

Reggie got out and closed the door, opening the one to the passenger seat and sitting there. He kept his eyes trained on his hands and began to play with the bracelet on his left wrist.

"Okay, so we're not talking. Is the radio okay?"

Reggie shook his head. Ray nodded and pulled out of his parking spot on the curb, and driving towards Reggie's house.

As they drove into the neighborhood, Reggie seemed to have noticed and his hands started shaking, his breaths getting shorter.

Ray noticed this and pulled over, starting the 4 7's breathing technique he learned all those years ago when Alex's anxiety was only seeming to get worse with age.

"In 2 3 4 5 6 7. Hold 2 3 4 5 6 7. Out 2 3 4 5 6 7. Pause 2 3 4 5 6 7."

Once Reggie's breathing was under control, Ray saw that the terror in his eyes remained.

"Is home safe right now, mijo?"

Reggie shook his head.

"Okay, then. Let's go to my house, okay?"

Reggie nodded, and Ray turned around to go back to his house.

They were driving when Ray's phone buzzed with a call. He connected with the car, and Rose's voice was heard though the cabin.

"Donde estás?[1] I came back from the studio and you weren't here."

"Estoy con hijo numero cuatro. Su casa está peligroso, entonces voy a traer a nuestro casa."

_I'm with son number four. His house isn't safe, so I'm going to bring him to our house._

"Ha cenado?"

"Have you eaten dinner, Reg?"

Reggie shook his head.

"No, mi amor."

"Entonces, cocino algo para el."

_Well then, I'll make him something to eat._

"Gracias. Lo siento por no digo ti."

_Thanks. I'm sorry for not telling you._

"Esta bien. Trae nuestro hijo a casa."

_It's okay. Bring our boy home._

"Adios, Rosa."

_Bye, Rose._

"Adios, Ray."

Ray hung up the call, and saw Reggie picking at the skin of his nails.

"No, es malo mijo.[2]" Ray took one hand off the steering wheel to pull Reggie's hands apart.

When they got to a red light, Ray opened up his center console compartment, looking for something he's positive Carlos left in here.

"Ah ha!" He said, startling Reggie.

"Sorry. I know you do the picking your skin thing to stim. Carlos left a fidget cube in here, would you like it?"

Reggie nodded, and Ray handed it to him. He seemed content with it, and Ray continued driving them home.

Once they arrived, the two got out of the car and Ray unlocked the front door, seeing his wife stirring a pot on the stove.

"Oh good, you two are home! Soup's almost ready, Reg."

The two adults shared a kiss, and Reggie motioned for a notepad. Rose slid him one, along with a pen.

**Thank you. You didn't have to do that.**

"Of course, mijo. We'll always take care of you kids," Rose said.

**Speaking of which, why am I "hijo numero cuatro"?**

"Oh, he must've pieced together some of our conversation in the car," Ray said. "We consider you, Luke and Alex to all be our sons. So, Carlos is numero uno[3] because we had him first, and then it's by age, so Alex is numero dos[4] and Luke is numero tres."

Reggie nodded.

"Well, soup's ready," Rose said, pouring it into a bowl. "Be careful, it's hot."

Rose set the bowl down with a spoon, and Reggie made quick work of it, eating as if he hadn't in days (which Ray and Rose made sure didn't happen). He slurped up the rest of the broth, and Rose set it in the sink.

"So, now that you've eaten, you want to tell me what a 'code green' is?" Ray asked.

**Basically, it means that I had to get out of my house, and that I've gone nonverbal.**

"Okay, and why did you need to get out, if you don't mind me asking?"

**When my dad gets drunk, he tends to hit me, and so I don't like to be in the house the next morning because he'll see the bruises and think I got into a fight because he doesn't remember hitting me.**

"Dios mio," Rose muttered under her breath.

"So Julie picks you up and brings you back here?"

**That's why I climbed into the backseat. I hide back there so no one sees me and she gets pulled over.**

"What do you do when you guys get home?" Rose asks.

**Usually I sleep with Julie. We wake up early and I hide in the bathroom to get ready. I sneak out the window and walk to my bus stop from here.**

"That's a long walk," Ray said.

**I know. I'm sorry we've been doing this behind your back, I just worried you wouldn't like me sleeping in the same room as your daughter and building up a collection of clothes in her drawer.**

"Well, that explains the Nine Inch Nails shirt we found in the dryer. I knew it couldn't be Luke's— that boy is practically allergic to short sleeve shirts," Rose said.

"And Reggie, we're not upset about that. A little sad that you didn't trust us with this, but it's okay," Ray said. "Besides, if Julie's gonna end up with either of you, it's gonna be Luke."

**You know he likes her?**

"Honey, that boy looks at her the way he looks at his guitar. He's clearly head over heels," Ray said.

"Alright, well, we should get some sleep. C'mon, Reg, let's get you set up in the guest room," Rose said.

Reggie nodded and she led him up the stairs and into the guest room. Once he was all tucked in, she kissed his forehead and wished him a good night.

She saw Ray was ready for bed when she got to their room. Rose got ready and slid into bed with her husband.

"Luke called, by the way. Said he needs a ride to band camp since his parents won't take him and he has to be there a couple weeks before everyone else since he's section leader. I told him we could take him when we take Alex. God how I wish I could just shake Emily and tell her that she needs to learn to support her son," Rose said.

"I know mi vida. But I have a feeling that when those kids make it big, and you and I both know they will, she'll see the error in her words and apologize," Ray said.

"I guess you're right. Buenas noches, corazón.[5]" Rose said.

"Buenas noches, amor," Ray said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spanish translations:
> 
> [1] Where are you? 
> 
> [2]That's bad, honey
> 
> [3]number 1
> 
> [4]number 2 
> 
> [5]Good night, my heart.


	4. if i need you now, would you kindly calm me down?- flynn

Flynn could barely see through her tears as she walked up to the Molina house, hoping Alex didn't see them from the studio. She knocked on the door, Ray answering it.

"Flynn, what's wrong?" He said as she collapsed into a puddle of tears right in his arms.

"Dad...accident...hospital."

Ray squeezed them tighter after gathering what he could hear through her sobs.

Once she calmed down enough to be intelligible, Flynn explained themselves.

"My dad got into a car accident and he's in the hospital. They don't know if he's gonna make it. I'm sorry I just showed up, but I couldn't be in the house with all those memories. And I just remembered that Julie's not here, so I'll just go—"

"Mija, you don't have to go. We may not have Julie, but we have Reggie and Alex, two of the best cuddlers I know, cookie dough ice cream, and every episode of Project Runway on Hulu," Rose said.

Reggie came downstairs. "I heard my name— Flynnie, what's wrong?"

"Dad got into a car accident."

"Oh no," Reggie said, wrapping her in another hug.

"I'm texting Alex, he hates being cuddled but loves cuddling others, but if you ask him about it he denies it. I think it's the big brother in him."

Within 5 minutes, Alex was in the house and moving their cuddle to the couch. Rose pulled up Project Runway, and Ray scooped out ice cream for the family— strawberry for him, chocolate chip for Rose, cookie dough for Flynn, mint chip for Alex, and rocky road for Reggie.

He passed the bowls out and everyone ate their ice cream, talking and laughing along with the designers in the show.

"Flynn, when are you gonna sign up for this? We all know you like to do the challenges over summer break," Alex said.

"When I turn 18 and can sign up. I probably won't make it though, hundreds of thousands of people apply every year."

"Have faith in yourself, mama. You're a great designer," Rose said.

"Yeah, you design our halloween costumes every year and they look great," Reggie said.

"Luke's still mad you didn't make his last year," Alex said.

"That's because we found a buzz costume at the thrift store for way cheaper than it would be for me to make it!"

"Yeah, but he complained that 'everybody else's looked cooler'. I still have my Bo Peep costume," Alex said. "It's in my sister's closet."

"Why your sister's?" Reggie said.

"Because I didn't want to explain to my parents why there's a big frilly dress in my closet. Thankfully, Willie and I are the same size, so I just wore his costume and told my parents the 6 of us were going as friends. The only reason they weren't Bo Peep is because he and Reggie got that whole cowboy obsession."

"I still don't know why you guys weren't Buzz and Jessie— you could've been Buzz and then Willie gets to live out their cowboy dreams," Flynn said.

"Because the Buzz costume was Luke's size and we promised him picking rights this year if he wore it," Reggie said.

"Oh God, he's probably gonna pick the Foo Fighters or something," Flynn said.

"Hey, nothing wrong with the Foo Fighters," Ray said.

"Mr. Molina, with all due respect, how many people our age are going to recognize that we're the Foo Fighters?" Alex said.

"Not many, but their parents would," Rose said.

They continued watching the show, finishing up the season they picked, before Flynn fell asleep. After the episode finished, Alex picked her up.

"I'm gonna take her to the garage, we can sleep on the pullout couch like on the first night I stayed here," Alex said.

"Okay, you kids get some sleep, we'll clean up here."

Alex carried them all the way to the garage, Reggie behind him. Once they made it to the garage, Reggie held open the door and converted the couch into a bed. Alex set her down, and they began to stir.

"How did I end up here?"

"I carried you back here. Figured the three of us would sleep out here, like how everyone did when I first moved in here."

"Oh, okay."

Reggie laid down with her, cuddling them into his chest, while Alex went up and got blankets for the three of them.

Alex laid a blanket over the couch and the two bodies on it, then sliding under the blanket as well. He wrapped his arms around Reggie, encasing Flynn between the two of them.

"Let's get some sleep," Alex said.

"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep, I'm worried about my dad."

"Well, we can always sing you to sleep," Reggie said.

"Okay."

Reggie picked a song from his head that Alex would know.

_If you find you're weary_

_If you find you're weak_

_If you find yourself_

_Without the comfort that you've come to seek_

_You can count on me_

Flynn snuggled further into his chest, her face against his chest.

_You are the leader of the pack, it's true_

_Without you we would not know what to do_

_I dare to say we wouldn't have a clue_

_No, we'd be clueless without you_

_You have the nicest heart somebody can_

_Always there to lend a helping hand_

_Drive 3 hours just to see my band_

Reggie could hear their breathing evening as he and Alex sang.

_If you find you're weary_

_If you find you're weak_

_If you find yourself_

_Without the comfort that you've come to seek_

_You can count on me_

Once Flynn was asleep, Reggie pressed a kiss into her hair and let himself drift off. Alex smiled at the two of them before falling asleep himself.

* * *

Ray set the final bowl in the dish drainer, drying his hands on the towel Rose handed him after she dried hers.

"So, our kids are at your sister's," Ray said.

"Or at home or in our garage," Rose said.

"You know what that means," Ray said, smirking.

"We can finally finish Queer Eye without anyone interrupting us," Rose said.

"Yes!" Ray said, giving her finger guns.

They jumped onto the couch like they were Carlos' age, and Ray pulled it up while Rose cuddled into his side. The voice of Tan France came through the TV as they resumed the episode they were on.


	5. you cure my disappointments and you'll heal my pain- julie

Ray set down the eggs he had made for Carlos at the stool where he was sitting.

"Where's your sister?" He asked as he plated another thing of eggs for her.

Carlos shrugged. "Probably doing her hair."

Ray nodded and ate his eggs, chatting with Carlos about the day they had ahead of them.

When they had finished and Julie still hadn't come down, Ray went upstairs to check on Julie, only to see her curled up in on herself.

"Mija, you okay?"

"No, Papa," she groaned. "My cramps are really bad today, and I'm pretty sure something got stained."

"Oh, Mama," Ray said. "Is there anything I can grab you?"

"The heating pad, please."

"Of course."

Ray walked out of the room, only to realize he had no idea where it is. 

Mi Reina[1] 💖  
  
Julie's having cramps, where's the heating pad?  
  
Porbecita.[2] In the linen closet, top shelf. Tell her I send my love.  
  


Ray went to the linen closet and pulled out the heating pad. He told Carlos to get Alex and have them wait in the car.

"I got the heating pad," Ray said, plugging it in and placing it where Julie said she was cramping. "Is there anything you want me to pick up from the store? I have to go anyways, we need vegetables."

"Can you pick up some chocolate-covered pretzels, please?"

"Clado, mi princesa.[3]" Ray kissed her forehead and went out to the car, grabbing his list and adding the pretzels to it. 

He opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

"Where's Julie?" Alex said.

"She's got really bad cramps, she's in no shape to be going to school."

"Oh, poor thing. I'll grab her work for her, then."

"Thanks, Alex."

He pulled out of the driveway and handed his phone to Alex so he could call the school for him.

"Los Feliz High School, this is the front office, how may I help you?" The phone went through the car.

"Hi, my daughter, Julie Molina, will not be attending today due to illness."

"Okay, Julie Molina you said?"

"Yes."

Typing played from the car.

"Okay, she is signed out for today. Hope she feels better!"

"Thank you."

Ray ended the call from the steering wheel and Alex put the phone in the cup holder. He dropped off the two boys and headed to the store.

Once he got everything on his list (and the things he needed to make pupusas,[4] Julie's favorite), Ray paid for the groceries and drove home. After everything was put away, he reheated Julie's eggs and took them up with the bag of pretzels he got her.

"Corazon, I have your pretzels, but you have to eat real food before. I can't have your first meal of the day be salted bread covered in sugar, tu mama would kill me."

"Gracias, Papa."

Julie ate the eggs and set the plate down. 

"Do you know when mom is going to be home?"

"Not until dinner time, why?"

"I'm gonna need her help putting in a tampon since a pad is not going to be optimal for laying in bed."

"Tell me if this is weird, but I can help? I'll keep my eyes closed. You know I grew up with all sisters and my dad wasn't really around so it was usually just a house full of girls. They taught me how to help with this kind of stuff when we found out you were a girl."

"Oh, uh, okay? But eyes closed the whole time."

"Of course."

Ray helped her to the bathroom, and together (he didn't realize how much harder it would be with his eyes closed) they figured out the tampon.

"Why don't you go hang out in my room, and I'll change everything in here?" Ray said.

"You don't have to do that, it's my mess."

"Not necessarily. You should relax, and I already had laundry on my list today. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks, dad."

"You're welcome."

Julie walked over to her parent's room, queueing up Netflix. Meanwhile, Ray changed the sheets in both her and Carlos' room, scrubbing out the stains in Julie's bedding.

Once he finished that, Ray walked into his room to see Julie watching a show, eating her pretzels.

"Are you watching One Day at a Time?" Ray said, climbing into bed with her.

"Of course, gotta honor the legend."

"Rita Moreno sure is. I think, one day, you'll be on that list of Latino legends."

"Dad, that would put me on par with Selena, and I don't think that's possible."

"Yeah, you won't be Selena, you be Juliana."

"Okay, Dad. You want a pretzel?"

"I'm good, mija. And I'm serious."

"I know, Papa."

And so, they sat in the bed, watching and laughing along with the characters, Ray squeezing her daughter's hand whenever Victor was mentioned. You'd catch him dead before he turn his back on his daughter like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spanish translations:  
> [1]My Queen.  
> [2]Poor thing, but feminine, because the spanish language is gendered.  
> [3]Of course, my princess.  
> [4]this is a Salvadoran dish, it's my favorite food in the whole world. imagine a tortilla, but as thick as a diner pancake, and it's filled with any combination of beans, cheese, and pork, or loroco, which is a type of edible flower.


	6. +1 there's something broken about this, but i might be hoping about this- carlos

"Papá?" Carlos said, knocking on the door to his father's office. "I need a ride to—"

"Carlos! What have I told you about interrupting me while I work?"

"Sorry, I'll get out of your hair."

Carlos walked back to his room, leaving his father to finish whatever he was doing. He changed into his baseball uniform and walked downstairs. In the dining room, he spotted the house phone and called his tia.

"Hola!"

"Hola, Tia. Can you drive me to my baseball tournament? Mom and Dad are working."

"Doesn't your dad usually pause his work to take you?"

"Yeah, but when I went to ask him he shooed me away."

"Oh, then of course I'll take you, sobrino[1]."

"Thanks, Tia."

"De nada. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

True to her word, Victoria showed up at the Molina residence with three minutes to spare. Carlos got in and put his stuff in the trunk, and she drove off to the park where he plays.

"I wonder why he blew you off like that." Victoria said over the radio.

"I think he's just been stressed. Alex moved in, like, a month ago, and Reggie's probably going to be joining us by the end of the summer. Flynn's dad is getting worse so I think dad's trying to be the dad figure in her life more than he was already. Not to mention, Julie's band is playing gigs every weekend so he's gotta be there for those so that Luke knows he has parents in his life that care about his music. Dad's just been spread pretty thin lately."

"Still, doesn't mean he gets to treat you like that. He may be the father figure for, like, six kids, but that doesn't change the fact that you're his son and that he can't blow you off like he did."

"I guess you're right."

Victoria pulled into the parking lot, and she and Carlos walked over to where his team's first game is going to be played.

* * *

Ray walked into Carlos' room with a load of laundry, and he and Carlos began to fold it. That's when Ray noticed the newest trophy in his son's collection.

"Mijo, what's this one?" Ray said, grabbing it off the shelf.

"I got that a couple weeks ago. Our team got second place in a tournament." Carlos sat down on the bed, playing with his hands.

"I thought that was next week? You never said anything when it happened."

"I tried to. You got mad at me for interrupting your work."

Ray thought back to that weekend, remembering that he _did_ tell Carlos to not interrupt him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, hijo. I forgot about it completely."

"It's okay, you've been busy."

Ray sat down next to Carlos and put his hands over his son's. "Me being busy is not an excuse. I should've made sure I was there, and I'm sorry that I wasn't."

"You're forgiven, Papá." Carlos hugged his dad from the side. Ray wrapped his arms around Carlos and squeezed him close, kissing the top of his head.

"Hey, what do you say you and I do something this weekend, just you and me?" Ray said.

"I'm sure there are other people who need you that weekend."

"Carlos, spending time with you is important to me. I will make the time."

"Oh. Well, there's this thing at the Discovery Science Center I've been wanting to check out, I just haven't found the right time to mention it."

"Then we'll go do that."

* * *

"Papá, mira éste![2]"

Carlos waved his father over, as Ray had been walking much slower than his son, who'd been practically running.

Ray looked at what Carlos was pointing at. "That's very cool, mijo, but try to stay by me, okay? I don't want you getting lost, this place is big."

"Okay."

They walked around the monsters exhibit Carlos wanted to come for, and then made their way around the science center. Carlos and Ray were doing the activities at the hockey center when a familiar face spotted them.

"Mr. Molina? Carlos?"

"Harrison?" Ray said, recognizing Reggie's older brother.

"Yeah, it's me. I know, it's been a few years, but how's it going?"

"Good. Reg's one of the music program's star students, actually."

"Dad, who's this?" Carlos asked, wondering why Ray's freely giving out information about the bandmate of Julie's he was most protective of.

"Carlos, this is Harrison, Reggie's older brother."

Harrison held out his hand, which Carlos shook.

"Nice to meet you, little dude."

"Ditto."

"Hey, Carlos, could you maybe give Harrison and I a chance to talk? There's something I need to discuss with him."

"Okay, I'll be by the locker room thing."

"Okay, have fun, be safe."

"Will do."

Carlos ran off.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"When's the last time you went home?"

"Oh, probably, a year and a half ago? It's been forever, and even then, since I've moved out I've never stayed for more than a day or two. Thank God for texting and calling, or Reggie and I would not be as close as we are."

"So you know what's been going on in that house?"

"The way you said that makes me think it's worse than when I left, so no?"

"Your dad's— Look, it's not entirely my story to share, it's Reggie's, but it's pretty bad. Why have you been so distant? I know your brother misses you."

"It was a matter of cost. My parents cut me off financially when I graduated high school, and I couldn't afford to live out here. Went abroad for college, moved back to the US for work, but even then I lived in Missouri. The only reason I'm back here is because my girlfriend's pregnant and we want to be by family. Well, she wants to be by all of her family, I want to be by Reg. Point is, we only now have enough money saved to maybe buy a house out here, and that's a big maybe."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I went about that the wrong way." _Note to self, hurry up on the "make sure Reggie knows that he can move in if he wants to" front._

"No, it's fine. Hey, um, Reggie really admires you, as a dad, and I'm sure you know that mine isn't the best example. Have any advice?"

Ray said, looking for Carlos, "You're never going to always get it right," Ray said, looking for Carlos. "No parent ever does. All you can do is try your best, and make sure that they know that they're loved, and that you care about them."

Carlos noticed his dad looking for him, and waved him over.

"Well, that's my cue. I gotta go, it was nice seeing you again."

"Nice seeing you too, Mr. Molina. And, thank you, for taking care of my brother."

"It was no problem. He's practically one of my own at this point."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's a wrap! i hope you guys enjoyed this, i had a ton of fun writing it (well, it wasn't all fun since it gets kinda dark). thank you all for reading, i recently started a new book, "hold my hand so that i won't fall", so if you want to continue to support my writing, please check that out.
> 
> this is me, signing off.  
> spanish translations, as always:  
> [1]nephew  
> [2] Dad, look at this!

**Author's Note:**

> yell at me on tumblr:  
> [joynersresolve](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/joynersresolve)


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